Keeping the ayurvedic viewpoint of life in mind, a simple ayurvedic meal plan can be made which can work for people on a varied spectrum of being. This applies only if the person under concern does not suffer from any disease or chronic illness, in which case the diet must be consciously personalised.
Ayurveda suggests intermittent fasting and backs the scientific method by emphasising its need and effectiveness in the healing process of the body. By keeping a minimum 12-hour gap between your dinner and the first meal of the day, you give your body adequate time to metabolise the food and also put the remaining energy into the healing process of the body.
Pre Breakfast Ayurvedic Meal Plan- Before 10 am
- Right after you wake up, drink 2 glasses of lukewarm water. You can also add ginger, lemon or cumin for enhanced detox effects.
- Drink a glass of fruit (apple, pomegranate, orange) and vegetables (spinach, carrot, beetroot) juice. Blend in 2 fruits and 1 vegetable, you can add dates for added sweetness.
- Ash gourd has amazing detox properties and hence its juice can be consumed as well.
Breakfast Ayurvedic Meal Plan – After 10 am
- Sprout salad – mix some sprouts (moong, chana) with chopped onion, cucumber, add salt and lemon juice to taste. If you are not able to digest sprouts well, you can boil them or fry them in minimum oil.
- Oats – you can have spicy oats (boiled oats, onion, carrots and sprouts fried together with salt, chilli powder and lemon juice as per taste) or sweet oats (oats boiled in any plant based milk with gur or honey added for sweetness. You can also add dried berries and nuts for extra crunch and nutrition)
- Oats cheela – mix oats flour with spices and make cheela, which is nothing but a savoury crepe.
- Dal cheela – mix gram and oats flour with spices and make cheela.
Lunch Ayurvedic Meal Plan – After 1:30 pm
You can have the normal Indian meal of chapati, sabzi, rice and dal. Make sure the rotis are freshly made and the sabzi is made with minimum use of oil and powdered spices.
Snacks Ayurvedic Meal Plan – Anytime
- Homemade baked banana chips
- Sprouts salad
- Roasted chickpeas – roast some soaked chickpeas in the oven and add your favourite spice mix over it.
- Eat fresh fruits.
- Plant-based milk kheer – use quinoa, gur and any plant based milk.
- Plant-based milk curd, topped with fresh fruits and nuts.
- Homemade protein bars
Dinner Ayurvedic Meal Plan – Before 7:30 pm
- Beetroot soup- steam beetroot and potatoes, blend them with green chillies, salt, ginger and water.
- Onion garlic cream soup – boil onions and potatoes together, when done, blend with garlic cloves, season with black pepper and serve with toasted bread.
- Brown rice with coconut curry
- If you are feeling rather full, have 500 grams of papaya.
Similar to beetroot soup you can also make carrot, bottle gourd and pumpkin soup.
Some points to keep in mind
- Avoid eating anything after 7:30pm as much as possible, to give your body time to digest food properly before you go to sleep.
- Drink about 2 – 3L of water throughout the day.
- Eat as much home cooked food as possible.
- Avoid easy-to-make, instant packaged food